


Students of Politics and War

by Darth_Videtur



Series: Master and Apprentice [14]
Category: Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Love Triangles, M/M, Mind Manipulation, Palpatine taking advantage of a surprise situation, Slash, not really love...
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-02
Updated: 2016-03-03
Packaged: 2018-05-11 03:59:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5613181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darth_Videtur/pseuds/Darth_Videtur
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Can Palpatine find a way to get under his master's skin through an innocent man willingly drawn into his game? Review and let me know what you think!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Français available: [Students of Politics and War [TRADUCTION]](https://archiveofourown.org/works/6205108) by [Isa_Faradien](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Isa_Faradien/pseuds/Isa_Faradien)



Valorum imagined he had a friend at his side, raising his glass in a congenial toast to his reelection prospects. Palpatine let him cling to his delusion and smiled to think of the inevitable end of their acquaintanceship. Nine years his senior, Valorum had noticed the senator from Naboo at a gathering when he had been announced as Chancellor-Elect for Frix, and though the initial meeting had been nothing but political politeness, the new Chancellor had quickly discovered the skill of the younger man. As the years passed, Palpatine found that Valorum turned more and more often to him for advice.

It was as it should be, he reflected. In only a short time, he would be ready to officially take over for the poor fool. In the meantime, though, he needed to play the role of a concerned and supportive confidant. So he focused his wandering mind on the older politician, who was currently pacing the long room. 

They were alone in the living chambers, a room of unsurprising opulence in the Chancellor’s private suites. Valorum had invited Palpatine for a political consultation, apprehensive about the upcoming election and seeking confirmation in his political strategy. Surprisingly though, Sei Taria was nowhere in the vincinity. Valorum’s lover was rarely known to stray from his side.

Valorum seemed strangely off tonight. He was drinking more than his usual amount, and his eyes lingered on Palpatine far longer than might be deemed polite. The Naboo senator sipped at his own wine slowly. He finally met the gaze of the other and offered a faint smile. “You know what they are saying these days?” 

Valorum glowered at him across the short distance. “That my reelection shall also be purchased through the value of my family name and nothing of my personal merits?”

Palpatine smothered a snort and narrowly avoided choking on his drink. “Far from it, my friend. I was referring to your recent surge in the Reinar Tech polls. You’ve done well in your last publicized debates, you know.” 

Valorum glanced down in pleased embarrassment. “You helped with that, Sheev. How by the deities do you know so much about public speaking?” 

“Much failed practice,” Palpatine chuckled, and the other man joined in. 

“Then I am glad to learn from your mistakes,” Valorum jested, his eyes softening. “Sometimes I feel that I can learn far more from you than you from me.” 

“You’ve taught me much, your Excellency,” Palpatine protested and wished he could roll his eyes. “I am indebted to you.” 

Valorum’s pride sang across the Force, and he raked his gaze boldly over the younger politician. Grinning, his mouth spoke before his brain could catch up. “I wish I could teach you a few other things besides.” And then he froze, mouth open with stunned horror. He groaned and set his glass down, curling his hands over his face. “Senator, I apologize, that was not my intention. The wine has loosened my tongue.” 

Surprised, Palpatine peeked into the Force. Surprising, but potentially very useful and deliciously deviant, so he pulled a faintly amused and interested expression over his thin features and adapted to the situation. “A pity, I think. You would have made a fine instructor.” 

His words hung in the air, unclaimed, until Valorum shifted closer and reached out his hands, catching them in the thick layers of his sleeves and pulling the Senator close. “You think so?” he asked drunkenly. 

Palpatine smirked. “Well, I’m willing to be convinced, at least.” 

Valorum grunted, pleased like the arrogant nobility he was, and planted his mouth on the other’s thin lips. Palpatine leaned into the kiss and could feel Valorum trembling with the surety of his own passion. He opened his mouth and felt the Chancellor’s tongue invading, taking, tasting. Valorum released a strangled growl of pleasure and finally pulled away. The Chancellor stood from the coach and stalked away, hand clenched tightly around the handle of his wine glass. 

After a long moment, he swung back to face Palpatine. “I don’t know that this is a wise decision, Senator,” he said. “They’ll probably say I’m taking advantage of you, abusing my power. All that.” He swung his left hand in an irritated fashion. 

Palpatine leaned back against the coach and allowed a small smile to appear. “And doubtless I’ll be sleeping my way to the top, Chancellor. Rumors are just that. Rumors.” The Force whispered in his ear and assured him that this moment could only enhance his power over Finis Valorum. 

He could feel the other man’s desire like a hot wind in the Force. “Rumors can be as deadly as truth in politics, Palpatine. You know that.” 

“And perhaps rumors are enough to keep things interesting,” Palpatine offered in a low voice, injecting a note of curiosity and willingness, and he could feel Valorum’s resistance slipping away. The silver-haired politician slowly moved back toward the couch, eyes fixed on the reclining senator. This would make the final betrayal so much more delicious. 

When Valorum arrived, he hovered, not quite willing to sit yet. “You are such a mystery to me, Palpatine. To all of us. I’ve known you for some time, and yet I feel like I really don’t know you at all.”

“I’ve always been here,” he replied softly. 

Valorum finally sat and stretched out a hand to trace it along Palpatine’s jawline. “Mercurial…I think,” he whispered. “And yet I don’t know, and that is so, so… what? Intoxicating. I’m tired of knowing people, of watching every move and never being surprised. I’m tired of seeing it all.” 

Palpatine permitted the older man’s hand to curl down and around the side of his neck, though his training screamed at him to lash out at the perceived threat. “Maybe you haven’t.” 

Valorum smiled. “I intend to find out, Senator.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I decided to continue my one-shot and have some fun with this. Palpatine is so messed up and devious! Lol, I guess that's Sith for you. Just so you know, this is set in the same universe as Breaking, Breaking, Broken?

Forty-six years of his life had passed, and he still sat in the same padded chair of the Chommell Sector’s senate pod, watching endless streams of petty complaints and gripes being bandied about in the massive chamber. 

Palpatine sighed. Some days his alter ego delighted him with how easily he clouded the minds of his peers and the Jedi. Other days, he wanted to stand where Valorum now stood, solemn and withdrawn as the representative from the Order of the Ffib ranted at him and the rest of the Senate. 

The priest was a guest of Aks Moe, Senator of Malastare. The Gran looked at Palpatine now, smug and doubtless trying to rub the priest’s presence in his face. By all rights, Palpatine, known for his unwavering support of the Jedi, should have been offended by the Ffib’s presence. He schooled his features into a studiously blank mask. 

“We have proof enough that the Jedi are monstrous,” the Ffib said, lifting both hands to his audience in supplication. “They kidnap our children and secret them away to their temples, where only the gods know what happens!” 

Valorum leaned forward. “The Jedi make no attempt to hide their training, Master Ffib. Your accusations are unfounded.” 

His voice was calm, his mind less so. Even from here, Palpatine could reach out and sense the Chancellor’s thoughts tumbling over and over. He wanted the Ffib gone. He wanted to be done with the madness of this session. He wanted to go home and drink his brandy and make love to Sei Taria. He wanted to taste the thin lips of Senator Palpatine again. 

The Sith Lord straightened in his seat as he caught the last trailing, faintly embarrassed thought.

The previous night in the Chancellor’s apartments ultimately led to nothing more than several heavy kisses in a dance of dominance that Palpatine playfully allowed the older man to win. Valorum’s ingrained repression finally took charge, and he summarily begged his leave of Palpatine, and Palpatine, sensing Valorum’s inner turmoil, deferred and slipped out of the apartment. 

He smiled to think of it. Valorum was not so pure or faithful as he tried to believe. He had partaken of the forbidden, and nothing less would satisfy anymore. Palpatine turned his dark thoughts on Valorum’s assistant and lover. Sei Taria stood in perfect attendance on Valorum’s right, but he sensed her confusion, eyed her cautious glances at the Chancellor. She was worried and had no idea why. 

The Ffib was railing against a multitude of Jedi atrocities once more, and Palpatine turned his gaze fully on Valorum, curious to see where this might develop. As if sensing his long stare, Valorum’s eyes flicked over to Naboo’s quiet senator and settled on his narrow, friendly face. The Chancellor’s expression did not change, trained by decades of political sabacc, but Palpatine could feel his sudden interest in the Force. 

Of course, Valorum had no idea that Palpatine could sense such things. Doubtless even now he congratulated himself on his bland expression and complete control. Palpatine decided to test that perfect control, and he dipped his chin in silent acknowledgment and allowed an enigmatic smile to drift to his face. 

He held the other man’s eyes and let the tip of his tongue appear and brush his lips, wetting them. The effect: instantaneous, a soft crimson flush creeping across those regal cheekbones. Valorum jerked his gaze away with a sharp twitch of his head. The Chancellor nearly turned his entire body, but Palpatine felt the surge of arousal and knew the man’s mind remained behind, fixated on the last image of his parted lips. 

Palpatine leaned back in his chair, chuckling quietly. How easily the human male could be undone by a meaningful gaze, a glimpse of skin, a soft touch, a wanton sigh. The game suspended for the moment, he tuned out the Ffib’s screeching and sank into the currents of the Dark Side while maintaining an outward air of calm attention. 

The Force provided neither condemnation nor confirmation, and he took the silence for acquiescence. The larger question lay in whether he should inform Darth Plagueis of this development or not. Currently on Sojourn, Plagueis was in no good position to learn of this secret, if Palpatine took care to cover his tracks. 

And yet, the younger Sith Lord remained uncertain if he could conceal the matter from Plagueis once he returned to Sojourn, when the Muun would seek to take his pleasure in the younger human’s body as he always did. Though proclaimed equals, Plagueis still sought a strange brand of ownership over Sidious in matters of carnal joining. Palpatine allowed it, sensing a weakness in the older Sith, a protective desire that might one day be turned against him with ruthless efficiency. 

But…he loathed it as well, the feel of the Muun’s cold skin sliding against his own, the touch of the spidery fingers trailing down over his sides, the stabbing pain each time Plagueis forced himself inside. 

Plagueis took pride in his conquering of Sidious, and Palpatine now wondered if this might not be the perfect opportunity to use against him, to distract him. How could Plagueis retaliate against Palpatine, when he himself had told his apprentice long ago to use every weapon at his disposal in the pursuit of the Grand Plan? 

In breaking Valorum to the darkness, could he even tip the balance of power in his favor, earlier than Plagueis might expect? Much too soon to be thinking of that, Palpatine admonished himself. The Grand Plan was set well, and Valorum was merely an amusing diversion. When he destroyed the older man on the Senate floor, the victory would be so much the sweeter, so…satisfying. 

When the session finally closed, Palpatine had made up his mind. He sent a request to the Office of the Supreme Chancellor, humbly asking his advice on a matter of Naboo politics that could impact the selection of the next monarch. The reply came quickly, too quickly, and the Chancellor would be most pleased to assist in any way he could. 

Palpatine chose the sleekest of his dark robes, a high collar and a slim waist, nothing like his traditional Naboo pleating, but clothing that oozed with power and attraction. Even ambition. Valorum would be hard pressed not to notice the object of his desire. Palpatine smoothed back his slightly graying hair and smirked into the mirror of the refresher unit in his office. 

He was no stranger to seduction. 

And soon, neither would be Valorum.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mixing business and pleasure is what Palpatine does best! Watch out, Valorum.

The greeting he received on reaching the Chancellor’s office was warm and official, nothing improper or salacious in the way Valorum invited him into his inner sanctum, past curious eyes and searching lekkus. The room stretched long and thin, and one whole wall consisted of a floor-to-ceiling transparisteel window. Valorum waved Palpatine into one of the chairs and fetched a bottle and two glasses from his servo-droid. 

But when Valorum handed him his drink, a spark in the Force, untrained and unnoticed by the Chancellor, crossed the small gap between their fingers. Palpatine had always known Valorum admired the Force, secretly wanted to be a part of its mysteries. He never would. But he had just the barest hint of Force presence that could be felt – and exploited – by any trained individual. 

Truly, it was strange to place the wellbeing of the galaxy in the hands of non-Force-sensitives, Palpatine pondered. Much like assigning a blind man to run a ship’s guns. 

Valorum returned the bottle to the droid and ordered that the two men be left undisturbed. The hissing of the chamber’s door echoed around the large room. The senator could feel the older man’s eyes on his body, drinking in the way his dark robes cut a sharp figure, the way they accentuated the slender hands and pale throat. He heard a soft intake of breath. 

Palpatine looked up slowly, gauging the other man’s emotions. Valorum stood near his desk, his stare heated, intense, similar in ways to when Plagueis looked on him after a long absence. But Valorum’s eyes were warm and innocent, and Plagueis’s were beady and stained. The Chancellor jerked his eyes away and began to quietly pace before the window and drink his wine. 

How interesting to compare the two, Palpatine thought as he reclined in his chair and swirled the contents of his glass. Arguably, Valorum could be called one of the most powerful men in the known galaxy. Or at least, the position could. Valorum himself was a weak and pasty man, a timid byproduct of decades of inbreeding. House Valorum, massive and complicated, and bled dry of any remaining strength once possessed, picked apart by petty squabbles and bureaucratic proceedings. 

He suppressed a sneer. So many noble houses came to such ends, it seemed. Only those with true power survived. Valorum held power, but he had no idea what to do with it. Palpatine toyed with the thought of training him, or turning him into a puppet. It seemed unlikely; Valorum loved honor like a fool loved gambling. 

But even friends bent honor for friends, or lovers. 

And a lover, by definition, was distractible and prone to making mistakes in the…heat of the moment.

Even now, the older politician paced around the wide office, deep in thought. Palpatine took a sip of his wine and began slowly. “Do you remember Padme Naberrie?”

Valorum paused and looked askance at him. “Who?” 

“She is from Naboo. Her team placed second in the Youth Galaxy Debates here on Coruscant last year. You facilitated the final forum.” 

“A year is a long time,” Valorum said, but his eyes adopted a faraway gleam. “But yes, wasn’t she the very young one, the one who presented the closing arguments for her team?” 

“Yes,” Palpatine nodded. “She was only nine at the time. Still, you must admit her skills were most impressive.” 

Valorum moved closer and sank into the chair opposite of Palpatine. “Do I understand you correctly? You wish to place her against Veruna in the challenge for the throne?” His voice betrayed his confusion. 

“Eventually, yes. I have watched her career with interest, Chancellor. Her strategies are bold, her convictions refreshing in these unstable times. At nine, she knows more of her future than most of the senators on Coruscant.”

“She is a child…” Valorum said, tapping the edge of his chair in deep thought. “How can you expect her to stand up to thugs like Ars Veruna?” 

“We Naboo do not view age in the linear fashion that most other cultures do,” Palpatine shrugged. “Young or old makes no difference, only the skill and the right cause. She has them both.”

Valorum looked closely at him. “And what of your cause? Do you have no ambition for that position yourself?”

“None whatsoever.” And he meant it, because a far greater prize awaited him. “I left Naboo as senator partly due to duty, and partly due to escaping the noble houses and their rampant corruption. I have no wish to return in any political capacity.”

“You enjoy politics well enough here,” Valorum smiled, “and our corruption is legendary.” 

“Ah, but there are other things here to keep my attention,” Palpatine lowered his voice to a shade of improper suggestion and watched Valorum freeze in his chair, the wine glass halfway to his mouth. The room darkened with unknown intent.

Valorum swallowed, the sound rough in his throat. “You… I – I feel perhaps we should talk, Senator. Today in the Senate…” 

“The Ffib was in rare form today, yes?” Palpatine cut him off with a faint smile. “His vendetta against the Jedi Order is truly alarming, though I feel few are actually swayed by his menacing rhetoric.” 

Valorum flushed, his words tumbling out in a rush. “I wasn’t speaking of the Ffib. I was speaking of you.”

Palpatine lifted one hand and touched his chest in demure surprise. “Me? I don’t recall speaking in that session. Perhaps I have been working too hard after all, like they say.” He smiled and wanted to snicker at the frustration creeping across Valorum’s high cheekbones. He hid all but the color perfectly well under his politician’s mask. 

“No, you weren’t speaking,” Valorum leaned forward in his chair. “You were looking at me.” 

Palpatine tilted his head. “You are the Supreme Chancellor. Many look to you.” 

“Not like you were looking, my friend.” 

The accusation hung between them, unclaimed. Palpatine sighed and set down his glass on the small side table. “How exactly was I looking, Chancellor?”

“You know.” 

The glower was exciting him, if he had to be honest. Valorum’s helpless desire was intoxicating, the power he held over this man almost effortlessly. “You mean like this?” he asked softly, and leaned forward and slid his gaze down over the Chancellor’s body, lingering over every centimeter, letting his thin lips part when he spotted the faint bulge under the front of Valorum’s robes. He allowed a hint of his darkness to touch the edges of Valorum’s weak mind.

The Chancellor’s jaw dropped open, and he nearly recoiled, stammering, “Yes, yes, that…” 

“You don’t like it?” 

Valorum looked away. “I like it too much,” he said, quiet and frightened of himself. “What happened in my apartments yesterday was not proper, Senator Palpatine. I can’t deny that I am drawn to you, but I will not sully your good name.” Or what is left of mine, Palpatine could hear him thinking. 

“Let me worry about that,” he finally said, reaching out and catching Valorum’s left hand. He could feel the trembling passion in the stout fingers, the dusting of fine hairs on the back of the hand, veins pulsing with warmth just under the soft skin. How different from the cold, hairless skin of a Muun… 

“Aren’t you concerned that I am ten years older than you?” Valorum exclaimed, grasping at any excuse that might release the grip on his hand. At the same time, his mind screamed in the Force to be pulled closer. 

Palpatine chuckled. “Naboo, remember? Age is no measure of wisdom, or beauty.” He wondered for a moment if Valorum was brave enough and then decided to chance it, pulling the hand to his lips and laying a gentle kiss across the wide palm. 

Valorum flinched. “Senator…” he started, and Palpatine laid the index finger of his other hand against the tightly pursed lips, effectively silencing him. 

The tension in the older man increased tenfold when he extended just the tip of his tongue and traced it from the top of the palm to the hollow of the wrist. Valorum sucked in a tight breath and tried to pull his hand back. Palpatine let it slide from his fingers and grinned up. “Still worried?” 

For a moment, Valorum could not speak, his jaw working in silence, eyes fixed on the senator’s mouth. Finally, he dragged his eyes upwards, and they smoked with startling intensity. “I was, ahem, planning on eating dinner in my office tonight, er, working late. You wouldn’t care to join me, I suppose.” 

The words were mumbled, unbalanced, desperate, perfect. 

“As it so happens,” Palpatine licked his lips. “I’m famished, Chancellor.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things begin to heat up between the politicians. Finis ponders his options.

After ordering food from his personal assistant, Finis flitted from the west window of his office to his desk and back again. He couldn’t bring himself to look fully at his guest; Senator Palpatine sat quietly in one of the chairs on the opposite side of the wide desk, hands folded primly in his lap and heavy lidded eyes never leaving the Chancellor. 

He could feel that gaze burning into his back as he paced away. He blew out his breath in a low sigh. He could not shake the image of Palpatine’s thin lips pressed to his hand, or the sensation of that delightful tongue against his wrist. 

What was going wrong? And what was wrong with him? Valorum always prided himself on his perfect self-control. He possessed the ability to set aside his personal feelings in a moment’s notice, to take up the reins of office and cease to exist as a single man. 

Most of Coruscant never saw it; they saw only a man who coasted on the laurels of his ancestors. How badly he wanted to prove them all wrong, and initially, his future showed promise with the solution of the Stark Hyperspace War. But now, corruption nibbled at the edges of his administration, and wars and petty squabbles filled the hours of the Senate. 

Perhaps that drew him to Senator Palpatine. Of the thousands of senators to file through Coruscant on a yearly basis, this small human from Naboo stood out for the simple fact that no scandals had yet attached themselves to his name. Finis stared out of the office window into the streams of traffic below. 

It was no mean feat. 

His attraction certainly wasn’t due to looks. Palpatine was not conventionally handsome, his nose much too large and his eyes watery and pale. His hair was going prematurely grey, his face already beginning to garner a weathered touch, a tired touch. 

But none of that mattered when he smiled and a hint of elegant, cosmic amusement touched those thin lips. None of it mattered when those slender hands gestured with the passion of justice and power, when that sensual baritone reverberated through the Senate chamber and roused hundreds of apathetic beings to his causes. 

Valorum sensed in him a kindred spirit, an earnest desire to do the right thing, regardless of tradition or Senate procedure. He also knew that Palpatine admired the Jedi Order, another trait that Valorum shared wholeheartedly. He smiled, remembering that he once thought Palpatine a provincial innocent. 

What hid behind that unassuming front was a very intelligent, even calculating, mind, and someone Finis was lucky to count as a true friend. 

And now…something much more? He turned at the window and glanced at the younger politician, who raised a ginger eyebrow but said nothing. Palpatine was clearly waiting for him to make the first concession, making it clear that Valorum would need to be an equal partner in this. 

And Force curse him, but he wanted this! He shouldn’t. He should have been running to Sei, fleeing this madness, this intoxicating mystery that coiled in his armchair and smiled benevolently at him. Finis took a deep, ragged breath and crossed back to his desk, sinking into his padded chair.

He bravely locked eyes with his guest. “Have you thought this matter through, Senator Palpatine? Have you thought about what this might do to your reputation?”

“With practiced circumspection, there should be nothing to fear,” Palpatine said, steepling his long fingers under his chin and leaning forward. Valorum watched him closely. He appeared perfectly calm and unperturbed, his body language whispering of subtle interest in the older man. Why? 

He didn’t want to think about that, and he was saved by the arrival of his secondary Twi’lek secretary, who announced that the food had been laid out in the office’s dining room. He instructed the secretary to make sure that they would not be disturbed, then rose and motioned with his hands. “Please, Senator, this way.” 

Palpatine followed him into the small chain of adjoining rooms which made up the office’s living quarters, a modest home away from home for a man whose attentions were robustly demanded by an entire galaxy. Valorum waved him into the seat opposite his own. As he picked up his utensils and speared them into the roast steak on his platter, he studied Palpatine.

The Senator’s table manners were as delicate and precise as every other aspect of him. A true son of nobility, Finis noted with approval, bred well. “Is the steak to your liking, Senator?” he asked after a time of eating in companionable silence. 

Palpatine looked up, the corner of his mouth curling in a faint smile. “Succulent,” he announced, “Normally one only gets shaak as fresh as this back on Naboo.” 

“I’ve always enjoyed your planet’s tastes,” Valorum told him, relaxing at the satisfaction he saw in the other’s face. Yes, he loved the food, but even so, he had ordered shaak tonight solely to please his guest. 

Palpatine set his utensil down and reached for his wine glass. He raised it toward Valorum with a sparkle in his pale eyes. The dim lighting almost created a golden glow in their depths, an effect that captured Valorum’s fascination and took his breath away in a rush. “You are becoming quite the connoisseur of all things Naboo,” the senator noted. 

“I…I suppose I am,” Finis admitted, watching as the other man tilted the glass back for a sip. 

Palpatine grinned at Valorum’s blatant stare, and the older man flushed but did not look away. His own wine was disappearing quickly, along with his inhibitions. He took another long swallow to fortify himself. This was it. He wanted this. He was going to have what he wanted. He…

The Naboo senator slid his glass onto the table and tilted his head to one side. “Will you be taking up the study of our language next, Chancellor?” 

The head tilt nearly did him in. Valorum pushed up from his seat and crossed to the other side of the table. He reached down for the senator’s hands and pulled him up. His efforts met no resistance. Palpatine was shorter than him, and somehow that felt perfect to him, right. 

He leaned over him, their mouths only centimeters apart. “Is there a word in Naboo for how I am feeling right now?” he growled, startling himself with his boldness, but deciding to throw his caution to the wind. For once in his stuffed life. 

Palpatine smiled and leaned forward, brushing his lips against Valorum’s ear and whispering, “Oh, I am quite sure of that, but I fear it wouldn’t be suitable for polite company.” 

Finis hissed a sharp intake of breath. He gripped the thin shoulders over the dark, smooth material. “I’m not polite company right now, Senator.” 

“Good.” Palpatine stretched up and pressed his mouth against him, and Valorum shuddered into the kiss. When they parted, both were breathing heavily. Palpatine blinked several times and then smirked. “Definitely not suitable.” 

Valorum stared down at him, trying to pull his stern discipline around his shoulders like a cloak and failing miserably. Do it, a still voice in the pit of his stomach hissed. He was moving now, independent of conscious thought other than the fact that he wanted this man. 

Wanted him now. 

His thoughts translated into actions, his hands pulling at the ties of the wide cummerbund around the senator’s slender waist and pulling it free. It dropped unnoticed to the floor. Palpatine did likewise, pushing at the shoulders of Valorum’s robes. 

Finis reached up and stopped him. “Come with me,” he whispered, moving further into the chain of rooms, moving with single-minded determination to the last room on the right, the room where a comfortable bed waited. 

The moment Palpatine stepped inside, Valorum tugged him close and continued to undo the ties at his neck and wrists. In a matter of moments, both men had divested each other of all but their trousers and boots, endless layers of shimmersilk and veda cloth puddling around their feet. Palpatine sank to the floor, pulling Finis after him with a soft, possessive laugh. 

The sound haunted him and emboldened him. He pushed the senator onto his back in the soft carpet and knelt over him. Palpatine lay quietly, an almost apprehensive expression on his face, hands draped over his chest, which Valorum noticed showed very little signs of his forty-six years. Did he work out in the Senate gymnasium? Finis reached out and brushed a hand against the firm torso, pushed against the wiry muscles that shifted under the soft skin. 

He suddenly felt very self-conscious of his own doughy body. Why would Palpatine want him, when he could have the choice of probably anyone else? 

But Palpatine still didn’t move, content to let Valorum explore. He let out a soft sigh as the Chancellor began moving his hands over him, studying every centimeter with a nearly clinical curiosity. As Finis trailed his fingers over the ridges of his ribs, he was startled to discover a long, rough scar crossing the lowest three. It looked old but deep, and he wondered what the mild-mannered senator might have done to earn it. A speeder accident? An assassination attempt?

He found several more along the senator’s left side, and when he stroked his hands over them, the younger man shivered. He was not brave enough to ask, not yet, because somehow he sensed that this was an intimate matter, and he knew how Palpatine valued his privacy. Still, his fingers lingered over the grooves. Had the wounds been life-threatening? 

He truly knew very little about this man, and he suddenly wanted to unlock every secret. 

Palpatine shifted under his questing fingers and a smile, slightly forced, curled his lips upwards. “You’ve missed your calling as a scientist, Chancellor. Dissection appears to be your specialty.” 

Embarrassed for them both, Valorum jerked his hands away. “I’m sorry, Senator. I don’t know what I’m doing.” 

“I think you have a pretty good idea,” Palpatine purred, crossing his hands behind his head casually. Valorum’s gaze dropped to his taut stomach and the pale ginger hairs just above the belt of his trousers, the soft rise and fall of his easy breathing. “I’m not offended in the slightest.” 

“May I…” Finis swallowed roughly, but the senator’s feline confidence was bolstering his own, unlocking a terrible and dark courage somewhere deep in his soul. “May I continue, then?” 

“Only if you promise to enjoy yourself, Chancellor.” 

Valorum experienced trouble breathing, but he managed to choke out, “I think…I can do that. And please, call me Finis.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tensions reach the breaking point between the two politicians.

The senator’s darker side barked cold laughter in his head when Valorum’s fingers fumbled at the ties to his trousers. Such a naïve, eager old fool, slow when he should move and hasty when he should savor. When Valorum almost gave up, Palpatine curved his thin hands over the stout ones and guided him gently through the motions. 

The cool air kissed his flesh like a patient lover as the trousers slid down. Hovering over him, Valorum sucked in his breath. His eyes widened in his round face. 

Had the poor man never seen another male’s anatomy? Palpatine lay completely still, half-convinced that any moment Valorum would break and run for the door. My body frightens him, the senator realized and fought the grin on his lips. Instead, he placed a delicate hesitation in his own voice. “Finis?” 

“You are – I am…” Valorum’s cheeks flushed scarlet. “I’ve never, done…” 

He stretched out a tentative hand, and his fingertips caressed through the reddish curls and up the base of the stiffening shaft. How unlike Plaguies’s own touch, cold and dry and harsh. Demanding. 

No… this was soft and warm. Begging. He had never been touched like this before. It was almost worship, and Palpatine found himself sinking back into the carpet with a low, contented sigh. There really was no rush, after all. Valorum leaned over him, bolder now and reaching further, thick fingers curling around him.

\- Plagueis squeezed him roughly, tearing at his flesh, devouring! – Warm skin pressed against him, caressed down his thighs, and he was pulled from the memories as his muscles reflexively jerked. Valorum was looking at him, questioning him. 

Palpatine glanced down and realized that he had seized Valorum’s hand and pushed it away. He slammed his mental shields up, surprised by his instincts, and forced a smile. This wasn’t Plagueis. “Don’t you think it’s your turn, Chancellor?” he asked to mask his abrupt rejection, sitting up and sliding his fingers under the band of Valorum’s half-unfastened trousers. 

Valorum trembled but didn’t fight the senator as he pushed the trousers down. Palpatine gauged him sufficiently enraptured, and he moved slowly and insistently, rolling Valorum onto his back and kissing him when he tried to protest. 

The mumble turned to a moan, tortured from the stern, patrician lips. 

Palpatine teased him gently, playing his fingers down Valorum’s sternum and abdomen until he brushed against the older man’s shaft. He lazily traced a finger around the base, underneath and between the soft legs, imagining the pleasure that would soon be his. But the motion stirred the Chancellor, and alarmed, Valorum croaked out, “Wait! What are you doing?” 

The disguised Sith opened himself to the Force and studied Valorum carefully. To his faint disappointment, he realized that the Chancellor was not ready for that. Perhaps never. To take him would destroy the fragile growing bond between them. Undo his progress. 

But to be taken… it would seal the mortal addiction. 

Palpatine glanced at the other man’s member. It would not hurt like Plagueis, not nearly so much. He resigned himself in a quick moment. “You might not know how to take it, Finis,” he whispered in his ear, “But I hope you know how to use it.” 

Valorum’s mouth moved silently until he managed, “I-I think I can.” 

Palpatine curled his tongue over a dusky nipple and flicked it, evoking a throaty whine from its owner. The man tasted like he smelled, an old vintage wine just released from its bottle. Valorum began trembling, and Palpatine tightened his grip on the shivering wrists, the soft skin tender in his grasp. He looked down at Valorum’s excited state, hard with repressed desire, and he smiled. 

Valorum blushed and looked away, turning his head to the side and trying to disappear into the lush carpet. Palpatine reached out and caught his chin and turned him back. 

He licked the corners of the pursed mouth and pulled away. “Would you like to take me now, Chancellor?” he whispered. 

“Oh stars,” Valorum gasped, his member jerking to attention and brushing against the senator as he hovered over him. 

Palpatine grinned and pressed closer, eliminating the distance between their sweat-slicked bodies. “That’s not really an answer,” he purred into his mouth, not quite kissing him. 

“Yes… Yes! I would…” Valorum wouldn’t look him in the eyes, but his hips surged upward. 

“So impatient,” he chuckled. In one swift motion, he rolled them both so that their positions were reversed, Valorum now stretched out over him, shaft pressing against the inner curve of his thigh. He reached between them, slicking and rolling the older man between his fingers. 

Valorum groaned and whimpered. “Oh, oh that’s good! Keep doing that!” 

Palpatine tightened his grip and began a slow rhythm, Valorum thrusting helplessly into his hand. “You want this, don’t you? But how?” He launched up and caught Valorum’s lip between his teeth, tugging for a brief moment, not daring to draw blood, before releasing him and sinking back to the floor. “How do you want me?” 

“I – I…” Valorum stammered, speechless, and looked ready to faint. “I’ve never, please, I… please.” 

Palpatine guided his hand down to his legs, and between his legs to the tight entrance. Valorum’s fingers danced fretfully across the ring of muscle, and Palpatine sighed at the sensation. “That’s it, Finis. Play with me, take what you want from me.” 

Valorum flushed. “Will I hurt you?” 

“Only enough to keep it interesting,” Palpatine pushed his hesitating fingers in, just enough to let the muscles contract around him, just enough to make him imagine that something much larger could be there too, in the tight body that wanted him. Wanted his attention. Sidious knew such an appeal to the politician’s ego could not go ignored, and so he pulled on a small shadow of the Dark Side and sent the lusty thought straight into Valorum’s simple mind. 

The Chancellor shuddered and thrust his fingers deep, startling Palpatine with his sudden boldness and tearing a small pleased gasp from him. Thin lips curled in a wry smile. For the first time, Valorum smiled back, his lust fully awakened by the power he held over the writhing, quivering body that now moaned softly beneath him with each twist of his fingers. He stroked and curled his fingers inside, and Palpatine splayed his legs in open invitation. “Yesss, like that. More…” 

Blushing and focused, Valorum withdrew and nudged the senator’s side. “Up, please,” he begged quietly. “Get on the bed.” 

For a moment, Palpatine challenged him, lying recumbent and stretched out on the thick carpet and smugly soaking in Valorum’s trepidation. The Chancellor’s desire skyrocketed, but his natural timidity made him hesitate. He hovered over him, round face torn between shame and desperation, spots of red infusing his cheeks as his eyes trailed down the body beneath him. 

Palpatine reached out with the shadows and realized that Valorum was near to breaking. Push him too hard, and the toy would flee. So he rolled to his side and pulled upright along the frame of the bed, catching Valorum by his soft wide hand and tugging him up and closer. 

“What are you afraid of?” he taunted, tilting his head back and moving his lips across Valorum’s jaw. The taller man shivered and wrapped his arms around Palpatine’s waist, fingers sinking into his wiry muscles. 

“I’m afraid we’re not making the best decision,” Valorum sounded painfully aware of his own nakedness, of the fact that another male’s lean body was pressing up against him. His muscles, hidden under the soft thick padding of easy living, tensed. “Tell me to go away, my friend. Tell me you don’t want this.” 

“And lie?” Palpatine feigned surprise with a light laugh. “That would be a terrible disservice to our profession, Finis.” 

Valorum could not resist; he laughed with him and tightened his grip on the smaller body. “You act so proper in public, Palpatine, so reserved. But you have an agile tongue under all those affable trappings.”

“That’s why I usually win,” Palpatine leaned in and demonstrated just how flexible his tongue could be, and Valorum was left gasping for air when he pulled away. 

Valorum’s eyes were glassy, his chest heaving and beading with a thin layer of sweat. He was both nervous and excited, and Palpatine could see the moment he decided to carry through, the change of light to shade in his blue eyes. 

Valorum stepped forward and pushed him gently onto the bed. “Perhaps I could use a few more lessons,” the Chancellor said. The senator sat up, intending to pleasure the older man a little further, to make the passage easier, but Valorum stopped him and turned him over with gently forceful hands. Palpatine released a shiver as the sturdy palms stroked down his sides and came to rest over his hips. 

“Or maybe…” Valorum’s mind shifted, a faint devious smile as he recalled… “Maybe you are the one needing the lessons.” 

Palpatine hissed as the older man curled over him along the edge of the bed. He could feel Valorum’s erection pressing insistently between his legs, strong and hot and slippery. “I have no idea what you are talking about,” he said as fingers rubbed small circles into his thighs and the sensation grew almost pleasant. Unlike Plagueis, Valorum’s flesh was warm and soothing, human and enticing. 

“I’m sure,” Valorum scoffed, breaking him out of his observations when his fingertips found his entrance and gently prodded. The Chancellor was finding his courage with each encouraging sigh. “I saw you in the Senate Chambers, teasing me. I saw what you were trying to do to me.” 

Palpatine twisted to glance at him out of the corner of one pale blue eye. “Was it working?” 

Valorum’s hands moved over his flesh, and he pulled at Palpatine’s hips until they were nearly joined. The older man was shivering with both fear and delight, unable to control himself. “All too well, Senator. But I don’t believe you should tease someone without being able to take the consequences.” 

Palpatine realized then that Valorum was looking for a way out, still, giving Palpatine a chance to tuck tail and flee. He focused the Dark Side on the simple mind above him and whispered, “Neither do I.” 

Valorum groaned. “Someone should punish you.” 

“I’m open to suggestions,” Palpatine growled and pushed back lightly against him, felt the warm tip sink in, and then Valorum lunged forward and buried himself with a strangled cry. A flash of pain followed, but nothing like Plagueis, and Palpatine enjoyed the simple fact that nothing tore in him. No doubt, large amounts of blood would have sent Valorum fleeing long before the time was right. 

“Force!” Valorum grimaced and shifted in him. “How are you so… so?” He lost his voice as he began to withdraw. 

“There are certain benefits to trying new things,” Palpatine said. Valorum’s girth was wide but not too painful once the initial penetration was done. He could hear the older man’s thoughts blaring unprotected, if Sei Taria would feel like this if he took her from behind, if Palpatine was enjoying this as much as he was, if Palpatine would ever let him do this to him again… was he hurting him? 

“You think too much,” Palpatine said against the bed, noting the way the hands paused over his skin. “Live in the moment, Chancellor. Use it.” Use me. The mental suggestion went down easily, and Valorum pushed forward again, deeper, dragging against his core, hitting the sensitive bundle of nerves. 

“Yesss,” Palpatine hissed and bucked gently in response, encouraging, providing enough friction that Valorum gasped and tried to still his hips. 

“I don’t want to, to harm you,” Valorum protested even as he pumped forward, catching up a rhythm that Palpatine quickly matched. He released a low moan, a sound that forced Valorum to forget his gentlemanly protests and sink into the ancient dance. Their bodies moved together, and no more words were spoken. Shadows writhed and heaved along the walls of the small chamber in perfect time to the flesh tangling in the silken sheets. 

Valorum came first as he pulled out with a shout of agony and pleasure. The sticky white liquid traced thick streams across the pale thighs underneath him. Valorum froze, embarrassed, and Palpatine twisted onto his back under the larger man and grabbed Valorum’s hand, pulling it to his own member. Together they brought him over the edge, only a small whispering sigh of satisfaction accompanying the pulse of fluids. 

Valorum continued to hold his softening shaft, a strangely tender feeling, as Plagueis never held on to his apprentice long unless imparting a painful lesson. Valorum was not trying to harm him; he seemed only fascinated with the texture and Palpatine’s carefully dazed expression. Palpatine glanced into his mind. Well, well, well. The fool was pleased with himself. 

Palpatine let his head drop back on the bed, playing the role of a satisfied and exhausted lover, and he felt Valorum’s fingers curve up the line of his throat. Every muscle tensed instantly, but the fingers did not constrict, the nails did not sink in. He could not relax, but he faked it more easily than usual. Valorum dropped onto his side next to the supine senator, and they lay in silence for an immeasurable time, their soft gasps the only sounds beyond the electric hum of the office. 

Valorum’s ragged breathing finally began to slow. “I hope… I hope you learned your lesson, Senator.” 

Palpatine marveled at the feel of Valorum’s fingers now playing with his ear and curling through his prematurely greying hair. The strangest part was, he sensed no ulterior motive from the other male. Perhaps Valorum had better shielding than he thought. His lips turned up at the corners. “Mmm, that was quite a consequence indeed, Chancellor. I never imagined that justice could be so… firm.” 

Valorum laughed, embarrassed, studying the ceiling. “I thought you were so blameless all these years, but you are such a corrupt politician. What did you expect was going to happen?” 

“Here I was thinking you were going to censure me in the Senate,” Palpatine grinned. He could feel Valorum’s interest rising again in the Force, but the Chancellor’s body would not be able to keep up, so the senator sat up and tugged the white sheet around his waist. 

Valorum remained on his side and stretched out a hand to touch his shoulder. “Maybe I still should.” 

When Palpatine looked down at him, Valorum looked happier and more relaxed than he had in years. It brought a freshness to his lined face, a boyishness that hinted at Valorum’s once-handsome youth. Palpatine basked in the fact that he held this man in the palm of his hand, for good or not. He could crush him, or he could elevate him. In fact, he was doing both, though Valorum would never realize until far, far too late. 

Palpatine decided to play with him again. He stood from the bed, unheeding as the sheets whispered away from his lean body and Valorum’s eyes boldly raked over him. “Well, if I am to be censured, make it a private session, if you could. You know what they say: two is company, and three is a crowd, but a whole Senate chamber might be rather a large scandal.” 

He wrapped his tongue around the last word and infused it with enough innuendo that Valorum’s whole face lit up crimson. The Chancellor almost forgot to breathe, and Palpatine wanted to laugh at him. 

Instead, he glanced at the Holonet display by the head of the bed. “Speaking of scandal, I think I should take my leave. Too much longer and the Holonet reporters will be buzzing.” 

Valorum followed his gaze and launched out of bed. “Of course, my apologies, Senator. I did not mean to keep you so long!” Now that the pleasure was done, Valorum was lost, flitting anxiously around the room and helping Palpatine collect and fasten the intricate layers of his robes. He would not quite meet Palpatine’s gaze, and the senator reveled in it. 

Once both men were fully dressed again, they walked out of the living chambers together into the dimly lit office. “Thank you for your time, Chancellor,” Palpatine offered a shallow bow to Valorum at the entrance to the office. Just beyond, they could hear the low murmur of the office assistants and last-minute visitors. 

Before Palpatine could activate the door, Valorum stepped in front of him. “Will you come again, soon?” Valorum asked, and then flushed a scalding red as he realized his poor choice of words. He looked ready to sink into the reinforced flooring. 

Palpatine smirked. “That is the question, isn’t it?” 

He left the older politician stammering as the door swished open and Palpatine stepped into the broad hallway. He would ghost out of this office to torment Valorum from a distance once more, until the Chancellor’s lust drove him to seek him out. 

And he would, Palpatine knew. The Dark Side assured him of that. The bait had been set, the prey hooked and wriggling on the end of the line. Now all he had to do was simple: reel him in. 

Soon Valorum would belong entirely to him, only to him, body and mind.


End file.
